Popular Uprising

Uchiha Itachi's uncompromising stance made Hatake Kakashi feel troubled, and scenes like this were playing out all across Konoha.

The Konoha Military Police Force didn't waste words; they simply beat down anyone who tried to obstruct them, slapped on handcuffs, and tossed them aside. The villagers had an innate love for gossip.

Initially, they thought it was a scam, but the interference from the Anbu ninjas only piqued their interest further. Consequently, all ten thousand copies of the newspaper sold out in less than two hours.

Those who bought the papers took them home to read. One steamed bun shop owner even had his staff buy extra copies to wrap his buns, shouting, "Buy a bun, get a free newspaper!"

In an instant, he gained a significant competitive edge over his rivals! Countless people who hadn't managed to buy a paper lined up at his shop, leaving the owner beaming with joy.

His competitors were so angry they could practically cough up blood. So that was why the old geezer had bought two hundred copies! Damn it!

Just like that, this issue of the newspaper reached every household, and then, a bizarre phenomenon began to unfold.

Parents kept arriving at the Ninja Academy to take their children home, even those from the great clans. Countless students were confused, but upon seeing their fathers' grim expressions, they dared not ask questions.

The teachers were equally bewildered. Not knowing what had happened, they stepped forward to inquire, only to be mocked by the parents, who even cursed them as running dogs!

The teachers were left stunned. What the hell? I'm here to educate and nurture, how did I become a running dog? At that moment, Nara Shikamaru sighed, pulled a paper from his pocket, and handed it to a teacher.

The teacher unfolded the newspaper, and the headline "Demon Fox or Hero's Son?" caught his eye. His attention was involuntarily drawn in. After finishing the first article, he slapped himself across the face.

"Umino Iruka, you really are something! Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails who saved Konoha, and you actually, you actually..."

Umino Iruka's eyes turned red, and he leaned against the wall, sobbing silently.

Iruka's state immediately drew the attention of all the teachers, as they were all in the same boat—their students had been taken away. Seeing Iruka weeping, they couldn't help but step forward to comfort him.

Iruka wiped his tears and finished recounting the first story. All the teachers were stunned. They had always believed that brat Naruto was the Nine-Tails, but it turned out to be like this!

Afterward, everyone picked up the newspapers and began to read. Once finished, many teachers looked grim. "Colleagues, I intend to resign! I really don't want to work under such a Hokage."

With one person taking the lead, the others followed suit. Just like that, students were taken home, and teachers resigned one after another.

In the hospital, the doctors fell silent. Looking at the groaning ninjas, they decided to resign as soon as they finished their surgeries. Konoha was too dark; they might be forced to perform human experiments any day now.

The blacksmith shop canceled all orders from the Hokage Building and paid triple the penalty, mocking the Anbu ninjas: "You can even bring yourselves to attack your own people; do you even deserve to be called ninjas?"

Just like that, every industry went on strike, students boycotted classes, and some of the bolder ones even began to march in the streets!

High atop the Hokage Rock, Uchiha Izuna curled his lips into a smile. The good show had only just begun!

Just then, an Uchiha ninja appeared. "Lord Zhan, that Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan has evolved into a Mangekyō Sharingan. Your subordinate fears he might impact the upcoming Coup d'état!"

Uchiha Izuna glanced at him and helped him up. "You've worked hard. I will make plans for this early on. Go, get some rest first; I have other matters to attend to!"

The ninja nodded and left immediately.

Uchiha Izuna stood with his hands behind his back. "Sarutobi Hiruzen, have you ever thought about what would happen once the things you've done are exposed?"

Enjoy yourself today!

Konoha

Anbu ninjas were constantly applying pressure and making arrests, but the villagers of Konoha were fighting back with pitchforks and rakes.

The ninjas dared not kill, so they could only resort to intimidation. They retreated while threatening the crowd, looking utterly ridiculous!

Hokage Building

Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand onto the table. "A fine Uchiha! They've been marginalized for years, yet they still won't stay quiet, collecting evidence of my and Danzō's crimes!"

"As expected, I was too merciful back then. I should have let Danzō wipe the Uchiha off the face of the earth!"

He gripped the newspaper, his voice trembling. Twenty years of merit destroyed in a single stroke; he would be nailed to the pillar of shame forever!

After venting for ten minutes, Sarutobi Hiruzen panted and asked, "Where is Danzō? Where did his people go? Tell him to send men to control the villagers!"

The Anbu ninja looked grim. "Lord Hokage, after Lord Danzō learned of this, he sealed the gates of Root. No matter how we knock, he won't respond."

Sarutobi Hiruzen roared, "Damn that Danzō! To think he would desert at a time like this!" He was furious, but in the end, he was helpless.

Shimura Danzō sat in his chair as the leader of Root, feeling equally terrible, as seven out of the ten bad deeds in the newspaper were about him.

The crux of the matter was that he had actually done all these things, and there was no way to refute them: the death of the White Fang, blocking the Uchiha from rescuing villagers, human experiments...

Shimura Danzō was somewhat annoyed. Who exactly leaked this information? Soon, a figure appeared in his mind: "Orochimaru!" That was it; only he knew about these sordid affairs of his.

As for the people within Root, Danzō wasn't worried at all. They had been branded with the Cursed Tongue Seal; they would die inexplicably the moment they mentioned his secrets.

But what was Orochimaru's goal in doing this? Could it be revenge for making him take the fall back then? Or was all of this Sarutobi Hiruzen's doing? Was the goal to get rid of him?

But that didn't make sense; Sarutobi Hiruzen had always cherished his reputation, and the newspaper clearly mentioned him as well.

The Konoha Military Police Force stood in the corner watching this scene, feeling a faint sense of excitement.

They hadn't expected that a few sheets of paper could incite such massive public sentiment.

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi stood on the roof. At this moment, it wasn't just the two of them; Hatake Kakashi was there as well.

"It seems the villagers are truly angry. You can see them on every street," Uchiha Shisui said calmly.

"Mm," Uchiha Itachi replied simply.

Only Hatake Kakashi was drenched in sweat. He hadn't expected the power of the common people united together to be so formidable.

"Is the information published in your newspaper all true?" Kakashi asked, voicing his doubt as he looked at Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

The two shook their heads. "We don't know. The one who published the newspaper is Uchiha Izuna; his information has always been accurate!"

Hatake Kakashi etched the name Uchiha Izuna into his heart, nodded, and continued to watch the tide of the people.